The 16-year-old who used to be significantly injured in a collision with a semi-truck in August remains to be far from getting again at the back of the wheel.

But, when Obie Nef is in a position, he has a antique crimson Pontiac Firebird ready for him – because of his pals, neighbors and the area people.

The Canyon View High School pupil used to be riding northbound together with his father, Obie Nef, when he tried to go into Interstate 15 from an get right of entry to street forward of a semi-truck heading southbound on Aug. 22. He became in entrance of the semi, leaving it without a time to prevent to steer clear of colliding with the passenger automobile. The cab of the truck ran over the automobile.

Obie Nef used to be transported through Life Flight Helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital with a protracted checklist of important accidents, together with bleeding and swelling of the mind, a damaged collarbone and more than one damaged ribs. He additionally sustained facial and pelvis fractures. While his father’s accidents had been much less serious, Darwin Nef did enjoy a hematoma in the mind and more than one damaged bones.

An grownup guy and a 16-year-old male were transported through Life Flight helicopter following a crash with a semitrailer in Cedar City.(Photo: Cedar City Police Department)

Immediately after the crash, a lot of Obie Nef’s neighbors and classmates stepped out to boost cash to assist quilt clinical bills. Both Canyon View and Cedar High School’s raised hundreds of greenbacks to lend a hand with clinical bills thru bake gross sales, drive-in films and accumulating donations on the CV-Cedar soccer sport.

Eventually, the query used to be requested about what he would pressure as soon as he used to be out of this health center, in line with Obie Nef’s Boy Scout and church adolescence crew chief, Dustin Langston.

“At this point, he was still in a medical induced coma, but we wanted to help,” Langston recounted. “We wanted to give him a safe car that would run without any issues.”

One of the scouts proposed they change into the outdated, 1987 Pontiac Firebird that have been sitting in the Nef’s yard for many years for their buddy. The outdated automobile have been sitting in their yard since 2000 – prior to Obie Nef used to be even born.

Langston, who frequently restores vehicles in his spare time, used to be up for the problem with the assistance of his scouts all between the ages of 14 to 16, a lot of whom had grown with reference to Obie Nef thru college and the scouting crew.

“All my scout group is into cars, so everyone was on board immediately,” he stated. “I did a lot of late nights, but the scouts, my co-scout leaders and other people in the ward were there for so much of it.”

So, they dragged the automobile out of the yard and started working. The automobile used to be utterly reworked as unique entrance used to be changed with portions from an 1984 TransAm donated through AutoMoto. The again part the unique Firebird frame stayed. The complete dashboard needed to be ripped out to mend electric problems.

Langtson stated the unique plan used to be simply to get it operating and blank it up just a little prior to returning it to the Nef circle of relatives, however the undertaking briefly advanced into one thing a lot larger than any individual anticipated after phrase were given out. First, a neighbor donated a mini-van to boost cash for restoring the Firebird. The automobile briefly bought for $500 after Langston spent a while cleansing it up, giving them the important seed cash to fund the overhaul.

Many of the department stores Langston in most cases works with all the way through his recovery initiatives had been desperate to assist, as smartly. Rare Form Automotive in Hurricane agreed to color it for unfastened so long as Langston finished the bodywork. Clear Secure carried out new Firebird decals and window tint, whilst Salt City Metal Coatings powder covered the edges gold and Rolling Rubber donated logo new tires. The donations stored pouring in with A1 glass offering new home windows and windshields and a radical inner cleansing from Thunderbird Carpet Care to clean up the interior of the 30-year-old automobile.

Then, there have been the particular touches that in point of fact made it Obie’s automobile – together with customized stitched Firebird solar visors from Bobby’s Upholstery and customized decals alongside the doorways studying “Obie’s Firebird.” The maximum becoming addition, regardless that, is a specialised registration code holder bearing the phrases, “MIRACLES HAPPEN.”

“People I haven’t ever worked with came out of their way to be a part of this,” Langston stated. “It was really amazing to see.”

Langston estimates the price of the recovery procedure has most probably exceeded $nine,000, with all the cash coming from donations. It’s taken greater than 300 guy hours to show the forgotten automobile into an enviable antique automobile.

While Obie Nef’s mom, Nelda, knew concerning the automobile, each father and son had been stored utterly in the darkish. Langston had clued her in as soon as donations began rolling in as he sought after to verify the undertaking had a mom’s blessing first.

She by no means learned simply how a lot paintings that they had performed for her son.

“I thought they would just get it running, but I had no idea about the peoplon’e who donated their service and time,” Nelda Neff stated.

Eventually, it become too laborious to stay it a secret. On Wednesday night time, the Nef circle of relatives went to Langston’s area in Enoch beneath the guise of a scout undertaking. Neither Obie or Darwin Nef had any concept what would greet them once they walked into Langston’s house store.

Obie Nef used to be surprised to peer the automobile there, however he straight away identified it as the automobile that have been sitting in their yard for years.

“There were lots of smiles,” Langston stated. “I think he was very happy and excited.”

Despite the coincidence, Nelda Nef isn’t too anxious concerning the considered her son ultimately getting again at the street. He nonetheless has to go through extra speech, bodily and occupational treatments prior to the docs give the go-ahead for to get his license. More than anything else, she’s taking a look ahead to seeing him go back to a typical lifestyles.

“He’s going to be a responsible driver and he’ll handle it,” she stated. “They don’t remember what happened, but I know Obie is worried about if it is his fault. I just try and tell him accidents happen and I don’t know all the circumstances.”

Obie Nef, 16, used to be stunned to find his pals and neighbors had restored a Pontiac Firebird for him.(Photo: Dustin Langston / For The Spectrum & Daily News)

The Firebird isn’t utterly performed but, regardless that. There’s nonetheless just a little of inner paintings that must be completed. Obie Nef himself will if truth be told assist with this ultimate level.

“We wanted Obie to help and have it really be his car,” Langston defined.

When he’s in a position, Obie Nef could have his Firebird in a position for him – after Langston teaches him to pressure stick, in fact.

The value of the automobile recovery has been coated during the donations and volunteers. Donations are nonetheless had to lend a hand with the intensive clinical, rehabilitation and bodily remedy prices for each Obie and Darwin Nef. Donations may also be made at Mountain America Credit Union beneath their names.